IT IS ALL ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR KIDS. IN FACT THE LOCAL 4 DEFENDERS ARE INVESTIGATING FOOTBALL HELMET SAFETY. LAST NIGHT AT 11:00, DEFENDER KAREN DREW SHOWED YOU HOW SCIENTISTS AT VIRGINIA TECH ARE RATING HELMETS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CONCUSSION. WHICH LOCAL SCHOOLS USING A LOWER RATED HELMET. THIS MORNING SHE REVEALED HOW PLAYERS SHOULD BE PROPERLY FITTED WITH THOSE HELMETS. AT 4:00, YOU ALSO SAW WHERE SCHOOLS ARE SENDING HELMET NOTICE OFF SEASON TO BE INSPECTED AND RECONDITIONED BEFORE YOUR KIDS WEAR THEM AGAIN. AND AT 5:30, DR. FRANK McGEORGE LOOKED AT WHAT IS BEING DONE TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT CONCUSSIONS. DURING HER INVESTIGATION DEFENDER KAREN DREW LEARNED THAT CHANGES ARE COMING TO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PRAC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PRACTICES. SHE JOINS US NOW AT TROY HIGH SCHOOL TONIGHT. GOOD EVENING, KAREN REPORT HI THERE, CARMEN HI, DEVIN AT TROY HIGH, AND A LACROSSE TEAM ABOUT TO START. LACROSSE TEAMS, HOCKEY TEAMS, WILL BE PAYING ATTENTION TO FOOTBALL PRACTICES THIS FALL. BIG CHANGES COMING UNDER WAY. THE GOAL IS TO PREVENT COLLISIONS AND PREVENT CONCUSSIONS. FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. EVERY PLAYER WANTS TO BE IN THE GAME. BUT LONG BEFORE GAME NIGHT, COACHES AND IN ALL SPORTS, NOT JUST FOOTBALL ARE TAUGHT ABOUT CONCUSSIONS. EVERY ONE OF OUR COACHES HAVE GONE THROUGH AN ONLINE COURSE ABOUT CONCUSSION AWARENESS, AND THAT IS A M AWARENESS, AND THAT IS A MANDATE BY THE NATIONAL FEDERATION AND BY THE MSHA AND BY THE STATE COMMISSION. Reporter: THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SAYS ALL ATHLETES WHO ARE INVOLVED IN CONTACT SPORTS OR COLLISION SPORTS LIKE FOOTBALL RECEIVE BASELINE TESTING FOR CONCUSSIONS BEFORE THE SEASON. IF A STUDENT ATHLETE DOES RECEIVE A CONCUSSION OR WE SUSPECT HAS A CONCUSSION, WE HAVE SOMETHING TO START WITH. IF THEY COME US TO SAYING COACH, I GOT HIT IN THE HEAD. THEY ARE DONE UNTIL WE KNOW WE HAVE THEM -- THEY HAVE PASSED THAT CONCUSSION TEST. THEY HAVE PASSED THROUGH A DOCTOR AND PASSED THROUGH A TRAINER TO GET BACK ON THE WIELD. FOUR IN NOVI FOOTBALL GAMES, A DOCTOR VOLUNTEERS HIS TIME TO BE ON THE SIDELINES, BUT GORDON WANTS PARENTS TO KNOW. THE MAJORITY OF INJURIES HAPPEN IN PRACTICE HELP IN DON'T HAPPEN ON A FRIDAY NI DON'T HAPPEN ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. Reporter: THE MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION HAS NEW FOOTBALL PRACTICE POLICY POLICIES TO SHOW HOW STUDENT ATHLETES ADJUST AND TO REDUCE HEAD TRAUMA. THEY RECOGNIZE IF YOU DO THIS HIT DAY IN AND DAY OUT IT WILL TAKE A TOLL ON THESE BODIES AND SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. Reporter: AMONG THE CHANGES STARTING IN AUGUST, DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF PRACTICE, GEAR IS SLOWLY ADDED AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES. BEFORE THE FIRST REGULAR SEASON GAME, SCHOOLS CANNOT SCHEDULE MORE THAN ONE COLLISION PRACTICE IN A DAY. AFTER THE FIRST GAME, TEAMS CAN DO NO MORE THAN TWO COLLISION YOU PRACTICE DAYS IN A WEEK. NO SINGLE PRACTICE CAN BE LONGER THAN THREE HOURS, AND ON DAYS WITH MULTIPLE PRACTICE SESSIONS, THE TOTAL SOMETIME NO MORE THAN FIVE HOURS. Reporter: AND NOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING IS FOR PARENTS TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THIS AND TALK TO THEIR COACHES, THEIR TEAMS, THE YOUTH LEAGUES ON HOW THEY HANDLE AND TREAT CONCUSSIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, SOUTHGATE ANDERSON HIGH, THEY HAVE A NIGHT THAT IS DEDICATED JUST TO TALK ABOUT CONCUSSIONS, HOW TO HANDLE THEM, HOW TO DIAGNOSE THEM, HOW TO TREAT THEM. THEY TALK ABOUT FOOTBALL SAFETY AND THOSE RATINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. SO WE ALL NEED TO REALLY TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THIS. CARMEN, DEVIN. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. BUT KIDS ARE GOING TO WANT TO PLAY REGARDLESS. BUT HOW CAN PARENTS IF THEY WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT THEIR CHILD'S SCHOOL IS USE SOMETHING IN. Reporter: I WILL TELL YOU WE SPENT MONTHS GATHERING THIS INFORMATION. WE HOPE PEOPLE WILL HIT OUR WEB SITE AT CLICKOND WEB SITE AT CLICKONDETROIT.COM. YOU CAN GO TO THE DEFENDER PAGE. WE HIT 81 DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE HAVE IT ALL LISTED FOR YOU ON WHAT THEY HAVE, AS WELL AS SOME PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT WE CONTACTED, SOME WERE ALSO WILLING TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. A LOT OF GOOD ADVICE THERE, AND IF THEY ARE LIKE MY SON WAS, THE MORE DANGEROUS THE SPORT, THE BETTER.

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